Cool Drawing Ideas With Pencil Sketch Drawing

The right pencil makes a difference day and night

But not only that, what counts is what you can do with a pencil, how you use it.

And to make it even more difficult: which pencils also depends on the way you draw. If you like great contrasts, you will benefit more from soft pencils, for example.

There is no definitive method.

Some realistic portrait artists or draughtsman only use soft pencils with ideas drawing. And still, others have the five-pencil method. But no method is the method.

What can you do?

For convenience, you can divide all portraits into 2 categories:

• ·   Lots of sun and shade - means lots of contrast - soft pencils
• ·   Or less - little contrast - hard pencils

With soft pencils, soft means more graphite (a pencil is a graphite and clay) so that you can make a darker Gray than with a hard pencil. (hard pencils contain more clay and less graphite)

Whether a portrait drawing succeeds does not depend on the type of pencil, but also on what you can do with pencils

Which pencils are the best to draw a portrait with when you start?

More is less. A whole drawing box is beautiful, for on the table or something. But certainly, at the beginning: not necessary. I made almost all portraits on this website with 3 to 4 pencils and charcoal.

• ·     2 soft pencils for skin tones and hair
• ·     Sometimes a B pencil for the line drawing,
• ·     H for a technique for drawing hair realistically
• ·    And for the darkest parts charcoal which I mix with one of the soft pencils.

This composition is good for all portrait drawings. I use soft pencils and charcoal for a portrait drawing with more contrast. Wherein I definitely mix charcoal in the eyes, the parting between the upper and lower lip, and the nostrils.

Depending on the exposure of the portrait drawing, if there are really dark areas, I also put on the skin with an undercoat of charcoal.

If you are going to draw portraits, don't take too many pencils

As human drawing tutorial for beginners, we look at a photo differently than a drawing. By taking a lot of pencils, would you copy exactly what you see, the result is that it does not seem realistic.

It also makes sense: 3 to 4 pencils are easier to combine than a whole pile. Moreover: if you make 10 squares of 5 × 5 cm and you color in each surface with a graphite pencil from H to 9B, you will see that the differences between them are not really great.

And if you take 3 or 4 pencils: with a feather you can also draw at least 3 to 4 tone values in addition to those pencils.

Grab a B or 2B for the lines of a portrait drawing

Suppose you have a beautiful drawing like the one below, just to take an example. But sometimes when you put the drawing aside and pick it up later, you come to the conclusion that you are just wrong.

Sketch for a portrait drawing with a B pencil

That is why it is better to make a line drawing for a portrait with a soft pencil, B or 2B. Then you don't even have to erase the wrong lines. When you draw over it, you will not see it anymore.

Another advantage is that those 'wrong' lines give you the direction for the right one.

Which brand

All portraits on this website are drawn with Derwent pencils. The hard grades have a thin pin of 2.2 mm. Which is better for detail work. The soft pencils have a marker that is slightly thicker. Namely 3.5 mm, which gives you more coverage with the graphite on paper.

The lead of the Derwent Graphic pencil is made from Cumberland graphite by the Cumberland Pencil Company. Incidentally, the original graphite mine has long been closed because it is cheaper to get the same type from Korea or Sri Lanka.

Difference pencil and charcoal

Pencils consist of graphite and clay. (And the wood with the clay/graphite marker in it.) The more graphite, the softer the pencil. (the B series) And of course vice versa, more clay makes a harder pencil. (the H series) With these pencils, you will never get further than dark Gray.

Real very dark blacks cannot do without charcoal. The particles that makeup charcoal is more irregular in shape than those of graphite. (grainy, although I discovered, it also differs per brand)

When light falls on parts drawn with charcoal, it is scattered in all directions. Hence, it does not have that reflective shine that you see with a pencil. (graphite is actually a lubricant hence the shine)

Example of a portrait with a graphite pencil, charcoal, and eraser. You see what lifelike results you can achieve with these three.

If you mix charcoal and graphite pencil, it is important that you take the right order: first charcoal and then with a pencil over it. The other way around does not work. Due to the structure of the charcoal, it will not stick when you draw it over a graphite pencil.

That's why, as you see in the example of the drawing above, it's best to draw the darkest areas with charcoal first.

Charcoal pencils

You may have already seen that successful draughtsman and artists all use charcoal. That is of course not for nothing.

A problem that occurs frequently is Gray / drab portraits. As a result of which there is less depth, less 3-dimensional feeling. And so, they seem less 'real'.

The portrait below contains a lot of charcoal. As in the hair but also in the shadows between the fingers. By 'mixing' the charcoal with a 4B pencil you can create beautiful feather effects with an eraser and tissue.

You shouldn't take mixing too literally; it goes like this: first you draw what should be black with a layer of charcoal. Then you go over it again with the 3B or 4B pencil. Then you have a beautiful black layer that you can also easily feather. Feathering charcoal alone is more difficult with soft materials such as cotton wool. Due to the coarse structure of the charcoal.

Above an example of a portrait drawing in which charcoal and eraser play a leading role. Drawn on 50 x 70 cm 360 grams acrylic paper.

Draw better on the smooth side of the paper

I made all the portrait 3d drawing on this website on Canson 160 grams white drawing paper, 360 grams acrylic, or Strathmore 400.

And then on the back, the smooth side. When you buy paper with a structure, it is useful to make sure that the structure helps you.

Too much structure in the paper ensures that the white of the paper can still be seen in the dark shadows.

And that's just not what you want. You see in the picture a portrait that I drew in 2012

Keep your drawing clean

You may already know this when you draw, that graphite, and especially charcoal, easily streaks on your hands and on your paper. You can easily prevent this by putting a tissue or toilet paper under your hand if you are drawing and need support on the drawing.

You also have drawing gloves in different types.

Handy prevents unnecessary staining. The disadvantage sometimes, they are warm.

Conclusion

Then this is the answer to the question: "Which pencils do you use for a portrait drawing?"

• ·       Soft pencils for the skin like 3B and 4B. Is there a lot of sunlight on the face you draw? Then I often choose F and 2b for the shadows.
• ·        Supplemented with a feather
• ·        Very soft pencil, e.g. 6B for hair (mixed with charcoal)
• ·        Charcoal pencil for black areas such as the pupil of the eye and hair
• ·        Possibly B for the line drawing
• ·        4H to make grooves in the paper for areas to remain white
• ·       What you can do even more withdrawing portraits is on the supplies page

If a portrait drawing has great contrasts, which depends on the lighting of your sample photo or the model you are drawing from, then also use charcoal.

Only then do you really get black in the shadows, which gives drawings a lot more depth, at least the illusion, of course, but that makes them seem more realistic. For real black, you also have special pencils such as the Derwent Onyx.

And then you also have special pencils and materials. With which you can draw incredibly realistic effects. Sometimes in the blink of an eye.

Source: Cool drawing idea